Theodore e



rnnononn E. KING. or PAINESVILLE, onro Letters Patent No. 62,209, dated lf'ebrlmiy 19, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENCE.

@tu Stimuli rifiuti teilt tlgesc Zttttets ntrnt :uit melting part .of the same.'

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: 4

Be it known that I, THEODURE E. KING, ci' Painesvillc, in the county of Lake, and State of Ohio, have invented an improved Iron Base for Fence Posts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof, reference being had' to the accompanying. drawings, making part of this specification, in which-. Y Figure 1'is a View in perspective of my said improved iron base.

Figure 2, side elevation of the standard used in' the saine.

Figure 3, its front elevation.

Figures 4, 5, and 6, side, bottom, and top views of the sole.

Figure T, centraltransverse section ocap df the standard.

Figure 8, side elevation of part of postand buse, showing the manner yof securing the post; and i Figure 9 representsa top view of the sole with extra projecting portions ot' sole and braccs- The same letters of reference indicating the saine parts in all 'the figures. i

In manufactories where large quantities ot' fence is made, a want has long been felt for a post base of'such construction that can be got upand furnished at once at the same establishment, and at aprice not exceeding the average cost of those of stone, and thereby furnish, at the same time of filling orders for fence, a good and substantial substitute for the usual stone base ready to put up, and sothat the whole can be set up in the least possible time, without incurring the delayl attendanton getting outstonc bases and preparing them to receive the posts, and which in some localities cannot-even be procured at all. i

VThe object of this invention appliesto a post base of this description. It is constructed and arranged with a View to economy and portability, and unites a great amount of strength with a small'ainount of material. It is composed of' a sole, standard, cap, and braces; thevirst three are of east iron, and the braces lof wrught iron, each in separate parts. The principle on which rigidity and' strength of the base are secured lies in using the braces in pairs, so that when tightening them by screw-nuts, as will be explained, they (the braces) will react against each other; and advantage is also taken that this strain shall be in thedirection of the lcngth,rwl1ich of course admits all the strain that can ever bc possibly required. The said cast-iron parts, as before stated,

arc made sepa-rate. lhc object of thisis twofold: one for conifeniencc of Vpacking andshipment, and the other for resisting jars and shocks that posts arc liable to from various causes; `for instance, should the parts bc in one solid piece,` it would, while under strain by the tightened braces, be very `,easily broken by a sudden concus sion. By using wrought-iron braces, in combination with separate partsoi' cast irdn, I am enabled to use comparatively thin and light castings in place of heavy ones, and obtain more certainty of withstanding concussion. z t

Another advantage of my said invention is the manner of securing the post tothe cap of the vertical standard, above refcrredto, which is accomplished without additional bolts. This isdone by passing the screw ends of the pair of braces through a flange or other projcctionof the base of the post when set on the said cap; thus repairs, or replacement ci' braces, can he accomplishcdwith more expedition and eheapncss than by remoring old and replacing new bolts leaded into stone; and bolts thus inserted into stone are, as, is well known, very liable to quick decay,

The 'following is a description of thc construction and operation otfniy said improvement: p A, iig. 1, is a castir'on standard. Figs. 2 and 3 show its side and front in elevation., Its general form is readily seen in the drawing. B, iig. 2, is a tongtie on its lower end, {it-ting int-o 'a 1nortise,.G, tig. 6; and D, iig. 3, ifi-another tongueonl its upper end, iitting into a mortisc, E, ot' the cap, hg. 'i'. Said standard is ribbed or flanged for strength and lightness; it is also formed tapering upwards. Fig. G is a solo, also of iron; figs.

4, 5, and (i represent longitudinal views of its side, bottoni, and top; it is also ribbed or i'lilngcd, as seen. At

the extreme ends are ccuntersunk circular notches, F 1*", iig. 5, to receive the hmcads of thebraces hereinafter mentioned. "lfhe said sole is constructed long and narrow, and thesnid standard slight and thin', `The dimensions of the -former may be twenty-'four inches long, and four inches wide, and 0f suitablethickness; that of thc latter thirty inches high. The cap, ofwhich tig. 7 a central transverse section, is also of cast iron; the area of its upper surface to 'correspond with the iiangc of the4 post hereinafter mentioned. It is hollow on its under side, is perforated with l1olcs, G G, on its upper surface; also the mortise E, bci'orc referred to. The

braces H H, iig. 1, which are of wrought iron, have ball heads, I, on their lower ends; the other ends are screwcut to receive nuts .I J. The several parts above described are put together thus: The standard A is placed in the mortis@ 0,-(g. 6,) andthe cap on its top through mortiseE, fig. 7. The heads of the 'braces II .H are then placed in the notchesF F," fig. 6, and thie screw ends put through the holes G G of the-cap, fig. 7; the nuts are then screwed on the braces, and the whole tightened up to the desired strain to obtain rigidity, observing to keep the standard vert-ical, and the cap'lhorizontal. By reference to fig. 8 it will be secu that the post K is provided with lla-ngen, K; .these lie on the level top of the cap before mentioned, secured thereto by the nuts on the ends of the braces N N coming through' the holes therein. When setting up the post, or whenever it gets out of plumb, it'is easy to sec that it can be 'plumbed vertically by unscrewing one or the other [of the nuts, and when adjusted screwing them up tight.

So far this description relates to a base having the single longitudinal form of sole, as lseenin fig.` I ,l such is designed for posts that are supported laterally on each side by the panels or sections of the fence, but for posts unsupported by the'direct line of the fence, as in recesses, an additional surface 'of sole is recommended, as shown iug. 9, in Which'is an extra pair of braces, O O, at right angles to the other pair, the Whole strained and tightened on the same principle. In some cases only one extra'projcction ot' the sole may be needed; `in

that case a singlebrace only is used, which will then act as a common brace. The tapering -forin of the stand"- ard A is designed te counteract drawing by the action of the frost, and it can beef any length-required, so as to allow the sole to be placed below the penetration of -frost. The standard, with or without its cap, might be cast solid with the sole; but I regard this method as rendering its parts more liable to be' broken by concussion, which the post is subject to from careless driving agziinst it, and from other causes; as, should wroughtiron braces be used with such solid casting, screwed up to tension, it would be apt to spring the material, and so make it very liable to breakage by concussion. With my arrangement there is no strain on the standard, it being a separate part and supported and held by wroughbiron braces;v but should any spring bc communicated to it (which need not be if properly attended to when screwing up) thc braces will, from the slightly yielding nature of the material, save the standard from being broken. i

I do not e1ai1n,in itself, a sill or slice for the support of fence posts, as such are in very common use; neither do I claim bracing a post te a sill in the manner shown in the patent of P. S. Carhart, September 21,

1858; nor do I claim a post separate or detached from a sill, as seen in the patents'of U. T. Dewey, May 10,-

1859, and R. Merrill, April 6,1853. But that which I do claim as my invention, and desire-,to secure by Letters-Patent, isl 1. I claim a base for fence posts, composed of' `thesole, figs. 6 and 9, short standard A, cap, gs. 1 and 7, madeseparate and detachable, and formed into a rigid body by means of the adjustable braces, figs. `1 and 9 used and operating in a pair or pairs, substantially as herein shown.

2. I claim attaching thepost K to the said base by means ofthe said braces passing through the flange K thereof, and secured thereto by the nuts J J, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

lTnnono'nn E. KING.

Witnesses:

J. F. SINGLE, Y L. T. HULBERT. 

